43.— ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL SCIENCE: ITS PLACE IN 

 THE CURRICULUM OF FIRSTCLASS AND HIGH 

 SCHOOLS, WITH SOME REMARKS ON METHODS 

 OF TEACHING. 



By J. T. MoHuisox, M.A., IJ.Sc, F.H.S.E. 



The University dtuncil has lately endeavoured to draw up a 

 balanced curriculum for the matriculation examination, with the oljject 

 oi securing- for the young people of the countrx^, and especially foi- the 

 ablest of thenj, some insight into the bi'anches of learning that may 

 fairly be regarded as representative and fundamental in modern civili- 

 sation. IA)r this and kindred purposes it has chosen Latin, English 

 and another modern language, history or Greek, mathematics and a 

 science. 



Among the sciences that are in the present syllabus are physics, 

 <;hemistry and elementary physical science ; but it is proposed that 

 later the two former should disappear, it being considered that, as 

 only one science can be taken, tlie study of certain selected parts <jf 

 both physics and chemistry is greatly preferable to the study of either 

 science pure and simple. 



I have been asked to bring this subject before the education 

 section of this Association, and gladly do so, as it is a matter tiiat will 

 have a considerable beaiing not only on the training of our future 

 scientific men, but also on the attitude and outlook of many other 

 leaders of the coming generation. 



The paper will deal first with the reasons for the proposed pro- 

 cedure and the objections thereto ; and thereafter will contain some 

 remarks regarding methods of teaching. 



The objection which will perhaps appeal to )nany as the most 

 serious, because it appears the most fundamental, is tliat the proposed 

 procedure sacrifices unity and thoroughness to width. This objection 

 is tin excellent example of the idolon fori, the ei'ror of the market- 

 place, the power of words to mislead. It is regarded as obvi»jus that, 

 because heat and electi-icity are called branches of physics, M'hile the 

 study of chemical change is called chemistry, the two former subjects 

 are closely allied and their study has a unitv which will be seriously 

 broken by the omission of electricity and the substitution of the 

 elementary parts of chemisti}'. This, however, is not the case. 

 Modern chemistry in a great portion of its most fundamental and 

 scientific part is simply a branch of physics with very close atfinity 

 to the subjects of heat and properties of matter and to certain parts of 

 the subject of electricity. Such a text-book as Nernst's is practically 

 pure physics. Not only so, but chemistry is moi'e closely allied to 

 certain lnan(;hes of physics than are these to each other, and gives 

 better illustrations of their laws and ideas. If, therefore, the matter 



